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We drive the Ford Mustang GT with a helping of Ford Performance parts

Go-fast parts and many a decal dress up the Mustang GT

November 16, 2017

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Brap buhpuh buhpuh!

All it takes is one cold startup of the Ford Performance parts-equipped Mustang 5.0 to transport yourself to 1969 and the peak of Trans-Am racing. What a sound. Throaty, guttural, intimidating. It’s the sound of muscle. And there’s plenty of it. This particular pony-car, equipped with a cold-air intake, cat-back exhaust, and a power pack re-calibration, bumps peak output to 451 hp and 424 lb-ft of torque. That’s a gain of 21 hp and 24 lb-ft, respectively.

Admittedly, those are not snap-your-neck-back power additions, but they are large enough to knock a couple, even a few, tenths off your elapsed time at the dragstrip. A couple more tenths come courtesy of a short throw shifter, not because of time saved with the lever, but the power pack calibration also provides no-lift-shift capability. Serious quarter-mile hounds do that anyway, but the software cuts just enough power at just the right time to make it a little easier on the clutch.

Not just modified for straight line shenanigans, this Mustang GT gets a handling pack that, among other things, drops the ride height by an inch. Ford Performance also offers what they call an oil-air separator, which helps keep the engine oil in good shape during high lateral loading. To look the part, Ford Performance also provides a healthy collection of decals, wheel caps, chrome exhaust tips and other accoutrements that will help get attention. All together, the parts add $5,504 to the bottom line (not including installation) and do absolutely nothing to affect the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

So this Mustang GT is better at the track, in both the straight and curvy bits. But on the street, especially in the commuting dungeon, the look and feel of the modified Mustang distracts more than anything. The shifter, while quite short, is less precise than the stock unit and makes it harder to change gears smoothly. Equally awkward, the new engine calibration takes away some of the part-throttle robustness to benefit quick input changes. By that, I mean light throttle application at a traffic light, for instance, sometimes results in weird behavior and the car will lurch its way off the line.

Ford’s lastest iteration of the iconic Mustang moved the muscle car into the modern world and is brilliant to drive. These Ford Performance parts add a layer of aggression that both talks the talk and walks the walk, but compromises some of the daily driveability. It looks mean, sounds incredible, and, while driven aggressively, is immensely capable. I just wouldn’t recommend these modifications if the Mustang is your only car.

Robin Warner
- Robin Warner is Editorial Manager at Autoweek. He once tried and failed to become a professional race car driver, but succeeded in learning about debt management and having a story to tell. A former engineer, Warner loves cars for their technology and capability.
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